Check-row corn-planter.



PATENTBD AUG. 25, 1903.

R. L. PARSONS. I CHECK ROW 001m PLANTER.

APPLICATION IILED MAR. 30. 1903.

2 SHEBTBSHBET 2-.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES,

fatented August 25,1903.

PAT NT OFFICE.

ROBERT L. PARSONS, OF OAKVILLE, KENTUCKY.

CHECK-ROW CORN-PL'ANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 7 37,134, dated August 25, 1903.

Application filed March 30, 1:903. Serial lilo- 150,220- (No model.)

To a, whom it may eo'ncerm V 7 Be it known that I, ROBERT L. PARSONS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakville, in the county of Logan and State of Ken tucky, have invented anew and useful Check- Row Corn-Planter, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to check-row cornplanters.

The object of the invention is to providean improved construction of marking mechanism operated' by the wheels of the planter and adapted to be disconnected by the driver without leaving his seat and to be readily adjusted in position, so that the hills may be laid off in parallel lines in both directions of the field. r

To this end the invention consists in the,

construction and combination of parts of a check-row corn-planter hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in

which corresponding parts are designated by. the same characters of reference throughout the Various Views in which they appear, and

having the novel features thereof specificallypointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure, l is a view in side elevation of a corn-planter constructed in accord with my invention. Fig. 2 is a view of the corn-planter from above with the drivers seat removed to show the structures lying be-, neath it. Fig. 3 is a detail view in elevation of a marker and the mechanism for securing it to a wheel, a portion of the wheel being shown in connection therewith. 1 Fig. 4 is a detail View in vertical sectionthrough a wheel vin the plane of its axle, showing a marker one of the corn-hoppers,part ofjthe bottombeingbroken away to show the dropping m ech'.- anism beneath. Fig. 6 is a vertical section and the associated mechanism attached to the wheel. Fig. 5 is a transverse section through planter. The frame 1 is supported on an axle 6 by'means of supportingbrackets 7, provided at their lower ends with journals 8 for the axle. ,Rotatably mounted on the axle, at

either end thereof, is a wheel 9 of. the usual constructiomcomprising a hub 10, spokes 11, and a felly 12 and having secured to the spokes by means of clamps 13 and projecting lugs 14: an annular rack-15, provided with a plurality of radially-disposed oblong openings 16, spaced equidistant throughout the entire circumference of the rack.

On the axle 6, at a point adjacent the inner end of the hub of each of the wheels, there is correspond to the oblongsockets provided in the annular rack carried by each of the wheels. The locking-bolts pass through the marker-arms at pointssuch that whenthe .fprovided asquared portion 17 and at the locking-bolts are turnedso that the operative .ends are placed in the position shown in Fig. 'attheywill pass through openings in the annular rack and lock the marker securely to the wheel, but when the locking-bolts are withdrawn from engagement with the rack and given a quarter-turn in their bearmgs 1n the marker-bar they can no longer enter the openings in the rack, and the marker-bar and wheels may be moved independently of each other. I

The lockingbolts 20 pass through openings provided in the pivoted levers 21, each of which is mounted in a bracket 22 on the marker-arm 19, near the axle of the planter,

and has'a forked inner end 23, adapted, as

shown in Fig. 3-, to embrace the axle without coming into contact therewith. The forked ends of the pivoted levers 21-- of eaclrmarkerbar are of slightly different sizes, so that they.

may he pivotally connected, as shown'inFig. 3. At their outer endspivoted le'vers21 are connected with the marker-bar by means of contractile springs 2i, which normally draw the outer ends of the levers 2], toward the marker. The locking-bolts 20, which pass through the openings in the outer ends of the pivoted levers 21, are rotatable in said openings, but are not slidable therein, so that the movement of the locking-bolts when drawn out of engagement with the annular rack 16 is communicated to the outer ends of the pivoted levers 21, causing said ends to be forced away from the marker-bar against the tension of springs 24, and vice versa. Consequently when the lockingbolt at one end of a marker-bar is drawn out of engagement with the rack 16 the end of the lever 21. in which said bolt is mounted will be forced outward, and the outer end of the other lever 21, which is pivotally connected with that one which carries the locking-bolt which is drawn out of engagement, will also be forced out ward, withdrawing the locking-bolt carried by it from engagement with the rack 16. By this arrangement it is obvious that when it is desired to disengage the locking-bolts on a marker from the sockets in the rack 16 it is not necessary to withdraw each lockingbolt separately, but the withdrawal of either will cause the withdrawal of the other through the action of the pivoted levers 21.

lVhen a locking-bolt has been withdrawn from engagement with the rack 16, it may be turned, as stated in a preceding paragraph, through an angle of ninety degrees, and the operative end of the lockingbolt, which is of configuration similar to that of the sockets provided in the rack, will no longer enter any of these sockets, but will be disposed transversely thereto and will press against the rack-bar without entering into locking engagement therewith. To facilitate the withdrawal of the looking-bolts and their rotation in the bearings provided in the marker'bar and pivoted levers 21, each of the bolts is provided at its inoperative end with a ring 25 or other means for obtaining a hold thereon.

At the forward end of the frame 1 is provided a transversely-disposed plate 26, provided at either end with a corn-hopper 27 of ordinary construction, having an opening 28 in the bottom thereof, as shown in Fig. 5, and having a rotary disk 29, provided with a plurality of openings 30, mounted on a pivot 31, which extends downward through the bottom of the hopper and the transverse plate 26. Attached to the under side of each end of the plate 26 is a runner or furrow-opener 32 of the usual construction, the rear portion of which has a channel for the passage of the corn, which is dropped through an opening 3 1 in the plate 26 above the said channel.

The disk 29 is provided with a plurality of rotary arms 35, extending radially from its periphery, as shown in Fig. 2, each arm corresponding to one of the openings 30, which extend through the disk.

In order to impart rotation to the disks 29 underhoppers 27, I provide a shaft 36 in bearings formed in the upper portion of standards 37, mounted on the transverse plate 26 and having at either end a tappet-arm 38, which engages with one of the radial arms 2:35 at each half-revolution of the shaft 36. Motion is imparted to the shaft 86 by means of a sprocket 39 on the shaft 36, a sprocket 40 on the axle of the planter, and a sprocket-chain 41, which passes over the two sprockets, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In order to insure proper contact of the runners 32 with the ground, the frame 1 of the planter is connected with the tongue 42 by means of a bracket 43 and pivot 4:4; at the forward end of the frame, and adjusting mechanism is provided at the rear portion of the frame convenient to the drivers seat, as will be presently described, and in order to prevent any lateral. movement of the tongue relative to the frame of the planter there is mounted at the rear end of the tongue a segmental bearing 46, which is secured in position by bolts, as shown in Fig. 1., and passes upward through a guideway 47 at the rear of the frame immediately under the drivers seat 48.

The means for adjusting the position of the frame relative to the tongue comprises a short shaft 49, j ournaled in bearings on the longitudinal members 5 and having rigidlysccured to it at the middle an arm 50, the free end of which is connected by a link 51 with the tongue. At one end of the shaft 49 is rigidly mounted an operating-lever 52, provided with a spring-pressed locking-bolt 53, having releasing devices of the usual form and adapted to engage a segmental rack 5i, provided on the upper surface of the adjacent longitudinal member 5.

By means of the lever 52, the rock-shaft if), and arm 50 it will be readily seen that the rear portion of the frame 1 of the planter may be raised or lowered at will in order to bring the proper portion of the runners 32 into contact with the ground.

In operation the corn-hoppers are filled with corn, the marker-arm on one of the wheels is locked in engagement therewith, and the machine driven across the field in any direction desired. The rotation of the wheel to which the marker-arm is locked will impart movement to the axle, and this in turn will drive the mechanism by means of which the disks at the bottom of the corn-hoppers are rotated, causing the corn to be dropped in predetermined quantities at regular intervals across the field in two rows separated by a distance equal. to the width of the planter. \Vhen the trip across the field has been completed, the driver will release the marker-arm from engagement with the rack on the wheel by with drawing the locking-bolt,which is most easily reached from his seat, and will turn the locking-bolt sufficiently to prevent it from reenterin g one of the sockets provided in the rack. This will allow the wheels to rotate independ ently of the axle and will permit the machine to be turned without causing the operationof the corn-dropping apparatus. WVhen the machine has been turned for the return trip,

the marker-bar attached to the wheel which lies nearest the rows already planted will be adjusted in position to aline the hills in the two rows about to be planted,and the machine will be driven across the field in the direction opposite to that first traveled. This course of procedure is followed until the whole field has been planted.

As the operation of the disks at the bottom of the corn-hoppers is well known in the art and I do not claim the same as my invention, detailed account of the operation'thereof is regarded as unnecessary.

It is of course obvious that changes may be operation of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. The combination in a check-row cornplanter of an axle, wheels rotatable on said axle, a marker rigidly mounted on said axle adjacent to each of said wheels, an annular rack mounted on each of said wheels and provided with a plurality of radially-disposed oblong openings, a locking-bolt carried by each of said markers and having an end adapted to fit openings in said rack and being susceptible of partial rotation to throw it out of registration with said openings.

2. Thecomloination in a check-row cornplanter of an axle, wheels rotatably mounted on said axle, an annular rack secured to each wheel, a marker-bar rigidly mounted on said axle adjacent to each ofsaid wheels, a rack carried by each of said wheels, a pair of pivoted levers mounted on each marker and pivotally connected at their inner ends, springs connecting the free ends of said levers with said marker and tending to draw said lever ends toward said marker, and locking-bolts carried by said levers and adapted to engage the racks mounted on said wheels. I

3. The combination in a check-row cornplanter of an axle, Wheels rotatably mounted on said axle, an annular rack secured to each wheel, a marker rigidly mounted on said axle adjacent to each of said wheels, a pair of pivoted levers mounted on each of said markers and having their adjacent ends pivotally connected, springs connecting the'distal ends of said levers with said marker, and lockingbolts rotatably mounted in the distal ends of said levers and adapted to engagesaid racks.

4. The combination in a check-row cornplanter of an axle, an'annular rack' carried by eachof said wheels, a marker rigidly mounted on said axle adjacent to each of said wheels, a pair of pivoted levers mounted on said marker the inner ends of said levers being formed to embrace said axle and being pivotally connected, and locking-bolts mounted in the outer ends of said levers and adapted to engage with said rack. 5. The combination in a check-row cornplanter of an axle, wheels rotatably mounted on said axle, an annular rack provided on each of said wheels, a marker rigidly mounted on said axle adjacent to each wheel, a springpressed locking-bolt on each of said markers and adapted to engage said annular rack, and

means provided on each of said bolts for withdrawing it from engagement with said rack and locking it in disengaged position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT L. PARSONS.

lVitnesses:

WALTER BYRNE, A. O. I-IOGAN. 

